Call on the Federal Government to Let War Resisters
Stay
In June, 2008, the
Canadian Parliament passed a motion calling on the government to stop
deportation proceedings against war resisters and allow them to stay in
Canada as permanent residents.
The motion is in keeping with Canadian public opinion. An Angus Reid poll
shows that 64% of Canadians want U.S. Iraq war resisters to stay.
The June motion was reaffirmed by the Standing Committee on Citizenship
and Immmigration in the new Parliament on February 12, 2009 and adopted
again by Parliament on March 30th, 2009.
Yet Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Jason Kenney continue to ignore Parliament and Canadians. Since the first
motion passed in June 2008, three war resisters have been forced to leave
Canada. Several more war resisters and their families are in imminent
danger of deportation.
In response, a private
members bill – Bill C-440 – was introduced September 17, 2009
by Gerard Kennedy, MP for Parkdale-High Park. The bill was seconded by
Bill Siksay, MP for Vancouver Quadra. This bill would give legal effect
to the motions already adopted by Parliament.
We need to continue to make our voices and our opposition heard! Please
call or email the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister and demand
that they support Bill C-440.
Here
are the numbers to call:
The Right Hon. Stephen Harper
Phone: (613) 992-4211
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney
Call 613.954.1064 (Ministry
office)
613.992.2235 (Parliamentary Office)
Or email him at: minister@cic.gc.ca
or Kenney.j@parl.gc.ca Please
cc the opposition party critics if you email Jason Kenney:
Liberal party
immigration critic Maurizio Bevilacqua: bevilacqua.m@parl.gc.ca
NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow: chow.o@parl.gc.ca
Bloc Québécois immigration critic Thierry St-Cyr: st-cyr.t@parl.gc.ca
SEND
AN EMAIL to your Member of Parliament asking them to support Bill C-440:
click here
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It is more urgent than ever that we send a message to the Canadian government
that Canada needs to welcome US men and women who refuse to participate
in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. There are three actions you can
take today to help support the war resisters.
- Visit
the website in support
of Bill C-440 for resources and updates;
- Contact
the federal government and make your views known; and
- Send
a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Petition
Add your name to the petition calling
for the federal government to implement a provision to allow war resisters to
stay in Canada. Initial signatories
include June Callwood, David Suzuki, Maude Barlow, Shirley Douglas, Naomi Klein,
Ann-Marie MacDonald, and many others.
Please
download a copy of the petition,
sign it, circulate it and return it to the campaign.
Write a letter to the editor
Letters
to the editor are an important piece of the public debate on this issue. The majority
of Canadians opposed the war in Iraq and support the provision of sanctuary for
US soldiers. Send a copy of your letter to the campaign to resisters@sympatico.ca.
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